I own a 1984 4 plus 3. the oil temperature is running, normal highway driving, about 250 F. I want to drop it a little, say 20 degrees. I was think of an oil cooler that has the small radiator and the connector that screws into the oil filter location.
Do they work?
Will they cause me oiling problems, i.e. will I have oil pressure problems, cavitation.
Anybody have success with a particular manufacturer.

Ty

 

Hi

There is a factory oil cooler available (an option)
Is easy to fit, remove the oil filter. Place the oil cooler in position with the inlet/ outlet pipes facing to front of the car, use a socket wrench to screw the fitting (in the ebay link it has all you need) torque it and connect the heater hose and the hose that goes on the fitting in the block. Then screw the oil filter back on and the coolant flow will cool your oil.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1984-1985-1986-1987-1988-1991-Corvette-C4-Engine-Oil-Cooler-Option-KC4-/370934650105?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item565d6d94f9#ht_353wt_684

 

thank you

 

I have an 84 too.. The temps seemed a little high (oil and coolant) when I bought it. After much searching and reading I discovered that the temps are normal for this year model due to the emissions rules.
I am taking a different route to cool things down some.. A 180 thermostat, 200on/185off fan switch and an upgrade to a later model fan relay.


Craig

 

Oil temps typically run anywhere from 10 to 30 degree hotter than coolant temps once the engine is at operating temp. What are the coolant temps at the time you see the 250 degree oil temp?

To the OP, does your car have the optional oil cooler (RPO KC4) as shown in the pic? Look for a small coolant hose that goes to the side of the block from a spacer just above the oil filter.

If the car does have the KC4 oil cooler, you may want to do a cooling system flush. It's possible that the hoses and the metal tube along the oil pan are partially clogged. Check the radiator for built up dirt and debris that may be reducing the airflow thru the radiator.

That 250 degrees is pretty warm for regular "dino" oil. I would suggest changing to a full-symthetic oil Mobil-1 in 5W-30 or if the car has high mileage use the Mobil-1 high-mileage oil in either 5W-30 or 10W-30. Full synthetic motor oils will handle higher oil temps much better than a standard motor oil.

 

I drove from Phoenix to Los Angeles yesterday. Average speed 85mph. Ram's 2000-2200. The occasional 3500 Rpm but we won't talk about that. By the time I was past Blythe CA running the A/C the whole time I noticed my oil temps were 245-250. My coolant was 212. I felt the oil temperature was unacceptable for hours on end so I let the windows down and dealt with the 100+ degrees. The coolant dropped to 190 and the oil to 224. I would periodically run the A/C to get some reprieve. Once I got past Riverside about 20-30 miles I was able to run my A/C and coolant temps 200 oil 220. The intense heat was to reason. Don't under estimate the current temps and the part they play in the cars operating temps. Living in AZ I have had many times where the coolant and oil temps were unacceptable or less than ideal. I've considered an external oil cooler or external tranny cooler to lessen the work load on the radiator. But when I get back to so called normal temperature ranges everything is fine.

 

C4 in mesa, I am surprised you had to get to Riverside before the temps started to drop. I am leaving for Ventura on the 13th or 14th and was hoping for cooler temps once I got to Redlands. Changed all my fluids and the water pump on the verte and put on a new serpentine belt. I plan on leaving at 3am so I don't have to drive in the sun however it still takes 8 hours to get to Ventura. Surprised your oil temps were that high but that could have been the higher rpm's
I know you like to run. Faster you go the thinner the oil will get but glad to see your coolant temps were lower. People who live outside in the real world (NOT Az) don't realize what our temps. can get like in the summertime. We were lucky this year as our highest was only 115 degrees. Glad you had a good trip!

 

The drive was very hot. I didn't use the headliner blackout. Sun burn on my face ! Overall the gas mileage is decent at 85mph 22mpg. I'm sure if I cut back to 75mph I would get the 25-26. Temps are extreme in the desert this time of the year.

 

I don't know which is worse: 125 degrees in the desert at 85mph or 105 degrees on the Ventura parking lot (errr freeway) at 15mph.

Rebuilding our 1991 C4 now for Los Angeles daily driver, added DeWitts radiator with integrated tranny cooler, high flow 160 thermostat, and Stewart high volume mechanical water pump.

Don't really want to reinstall the KC4 oil heat exchanger (drops quart size filter quite low to ground), maybe install separate oil cooler. Not yet decided.

Any tricks you hot weather Arizona guys have that the OP and I should try?

Thanks and safe motoring!
M

 

Living in Az can be hell at times. Today was such a day. Temp was around 106 but this is monsoon season so the humidity was up high! Many at the car show left early. You can dress for the cold but not for the heat. As far as driving, hot rod cars are really held back to a minimum when our weather sky rockets. This has been a cool summer with the high being only 115 degrees. We have had temps up to 120 and you won't see "rods" on the street regardless of what they use for extra coolers, fans, etc. If you need to drive your Vette my best advise is to do it at night or early morning. Between 10am and 8pm becomes very inhospitable. Engine temps can run up to 245 degrees in a hurry and is it worth it to drive then? Just MHO but take it for what it's worth. One thing worth mentioning: our day temps drive the pavement temps up to 150+ degrees. It can't cool down enough at night to make it bearable for day time driving.
Tommy

 

I experienced several stretches of highway that I had to turn off the AC and open the windows. Just enough time to cool the oil down to 235. Coolant temps were never an issue. My oil temps got over 257. I'm going to change the oil tomorrow and run Mobil 1 15W-50. Synthetic oil has a higher tolerance for high temps.

 

I really think that an external oil/air cooler is the way I am going to go. My car on the Garden State Parkway at 70 miles per hour was at 265 F. Just too high for me. I had to slow the car down to get the oil to cool. I do not think that the optional cooler will give me the cooling that I want. Thank you all for your advice.

 

I have the OEM oil/coolant heat exchanger, but I am not keen on re-installing it.

PLEASE let me know what oil cooler you decide on (exact mfr/model # please) and how the install goes. I am seriously considering the same for our build.

Thanks!

Save the wave!
M

 

I will update the list. Probably going to purchase something from Summitracing on Friday, payday

 

I switched my oil to Mobil 1 15w-50 last week when I did my oil change. With the mileage I have on my 88, a heavier oil won't hurt. Prior to that I was running 5W-30 Mobil 1

 

FWIW the KC4 mod is worthless for cooler temps. It does help warm the engine quicker.
The filter you use is the shorter model. No real gains/losses in longevity.
Your going to change the filter to often anyways.

A separate cooler is going to reduce oil temps.
The best location I've seen is below the battery outleting the fender gills.

 

JrRifleCoach - two things:
1. Your Avatar is a knockout! Very cute and million watt smile!
2. GREAT idea for the oil cooler location, very short plumbing lines and accessible. Clever!

I'll check dimensions and see what I can find to fit there.

Cheers!
M

 

I am not trying to hijack OPs thread, I am sharing what I am doing to address the same problem he has (overheating) so he and others can see my approach, FWIW. For the benefit of future builders, here is where I am with our 1991 Coupe (L98) for keeping the engine cooler during daily drives in Los Angeles freeway traffic (long idles at 15mph) with air temps 100+. The engine is not yet running, so I'll have to report back later with actual results.


BLOCK/HEADS COOLING
DeWitts radiator with integrated transmission cooler 1139090A
Stock dual fans (might lower on/off temp), fits without mods
Fill ALL gaps around shroud to ensure ALL air flows through radiator
Stewart high flow mechanical water pump 13403-HP
Stewart high flow 160 thermostat
50/50 distilled water with DexCool
New Mishimoto hose set (red!)
New stainless T hose clamps

OIL COOLING
Mobil1 10w30 oil (WalMart had best price around here!)
Wix filter (std size 51069, extra large (if clearance allows) Wix 51794)
(note-Xtra large allows more oil in circulation, don't need xtra filtration)
Canton 6 quart oil pan 15-240T
Canton sender plug 22-405
Magnetic oil pan bolt (1/2 - 20in) 22-400
Canton pickup 20-044 (5/8" pickup to fit M55 pump)
Melling standard volume, standard pressure oil pump M55
ARP steel intermediate shaft
ARP steel pump shaft guide (sleeve collar)
ARP stud


WORKING ON
Need mfr/model number of oil filter adapter to route oil to cooler
(hopefully doesn't drop filter too low)
Need mfr/model number of external oil cooler
Need hoses and fittings to route oil to external cooler


POSSIBILITIES NOT YET DECIDED
Add auxiliary electric water pump to keep up circulation when idling in heavy traffic (concern is effectiveness with low rpm mechanical pump blocking flow?)

Swap stock fans for SPAL fan array and replace wiring with heavier duty harness to handle higher current (concern is big bucks)


THINGS CONSIDERED BUT NOT USED
Header insulation - does reduce engine bay temperatures, BUT the wrap soaks up any oil and several CF members have reported fires AND the extra heat in the headers has been reported to deteriorate the headers within a few years.

Electric coolant pump - does move more coolant at idle and does free up some HP. At higher RPMs, mechanical pumps usually overtake the electric pump AND replacing the mechanical pump with an electric one is not an easy swap. The serpentine belt needs re-routing, re-sizing, etc.

High Volume or High Pressure oil pump - My engine builder did NOT enlarge the oiling ports in the block or bearing races and the engine is spanking new. Therefore, either high pressure or high volume could put significant back pressure on the pump and could strain the drive and/or distributor. Although less of a concern with the upgraded 6 qt pan, high volume pumps have been reported to empty a standard (4qt) pan leaving the engine oil starved in cycles while the oil drains back to the pan.

Underdrive pulley on water pump - This SLOWS the water pump (to save some HP), which is exactly the OPPOSITE of what I am trying to achieve. If anything, I would use a SMALLER diameter pulley on the water pump to INCREASE pump RPMs.


ANY THOUGHTS OR SUGGESTIONS OR COMMENTS WELCOME. I haven't assembled everything yet, so changes are possible.

Cheers,
M

 

Yep. Inspirational!

 

So, is she a professional model, family, friend or just another pretty face with a great smile and slogan on her chest?